“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire” is what W.B Yeats rightly said. How easy or difficult it is to walk on the path of education depends on the intensity of an individual’s determination. The harder you work towards achieving your passion, the easier it gets to reach your goal. This is the motto that Shravani follows.

Shravani is a student of 9th Standard in Zilla Parishad High School in Veltoor, Sangareddy district, Telangana. She never really showed much interest in co-curricular activities. Whenever there is free time, you will find her sitting and reading books and solving mathematical problems. She has a great interest in reading and increasing her general knowledge. 

It all started when she was a little child. She would always stand and scribble on walls with chalk pieces and teach her grandfather like he was her only student. She was very dedicated towards making him a good student. The funny part is that she would reprimand him for not writing neatly in his books. He always wanted to see her grow up to be a school teacher. 

As she grew into a teenager, her desire to fulfil her grandfather’s dream only strengthened. After entering high school, she found a friend in her teacher Ms. Mary Usha Rani. Should any problem or personal issue trouble her, she would find solace in confiding it to her favourite teacher. She was moved by how her problems would vanish when she shared them with her teacher. 

She has learnt a lot from her teacher on various aspects – right from something as basic as communicating her feelings in the right way, gaining an in-depth understanding of various topics, handling a class during a teacher’s absence and solving study-related issues of her classmates – she has learnt it all now. 

There is something else that Shravani gives credit to, for helping her do what she does – that is, school mid-day meals. She has been eating the mid-day meal served at her school for the last 4 years and likes it very much. According to her and her family, these meals that reach their plates, are packed with nutrients that energise her and keep her mind very active. Aside from the nutritional value, she likes Akshaya Patra’s meal because it is served hot every day and is tasty. Vegetable biryani, sweet and snacks are the food items that she enjoys the most in the meals. 

Akshaya Patra has been working relentlessly to nourish children with school meals for the last 19 years. There are thousands of children out there, like Sharavani, who need an extra push to help them sprint towards their dreams. Support the Foundation to provide regular school meals and be that little push that will help children achieve their aspirations.